Obama addresses Colorado wildfires in weekly address

This week's presidential address took a different tone than normal. Most times the president uses his weekly address to touch on a policy issue he wants to get accomplished or to urge Congress to get a major piece of legislation finished before funding runs out and it affects millions of Americans. Sometimes, especially around certain holidays, he uses the address simply to thank the military, for example, for their sacrifices; however, this week, President Barack Obama used the weekly address to thank everyone who has helped families affected by the wildfires in Colorado. On Friday he toured areas that have been devastated and met with first responders and families who lost homes. He wanted to make sure everyone knew his administration would continue to bring all available resources to Colorado to assist with combating the fires.

'Obamacare'

It's been a while since I've written a political post and I know I need to start doing it more, but today's news was one I'd be foolish not to mention a little something about. Today the Supreme Court announced that the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, was constitutional.

Now of course Republicans are now bashing the Supreme Court -- or at least Chief Justice John Roberts -- and still claiming the Constitution has been destroyed. I find that reasoning laughable because it would seem the people who would know the Constitution best would be the Justices. But to be fair both parties say they know the Constitution better than the other party and cry foul when they don't get their way. That's basically just human nature.

I, for one, am happy the law was not struck down. I'm not saying I'm happy about the law in its entirety. Mostly because I don't think it goes far enough. I think we need universal health care. But, the routinely called Obamacare is a start. So, in case you have been living in a cave for the past couple of years or only have been focusing on the mandate and not the other parts here's what the new law will do:

1. Provide access for millions of Americans to get preventive services such as cancer screenings, blood pressure tests and flu shots. Oh, and those Americans will not have to put forth a co-pay for those services like they do now.
2. Insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage to people because of pre-existing conditions, which could be anything insurance companies want including just being a woman.
3. Young people can remain on their parents' health insurance until they are 26 instead of until they are 18 or graduate from college as the previous system allowed.
4. Insurance companies can no longer spend as much as 40 percent of premiums on administrative overhead like CEO salaries and marketing.
5. Americans who fall into the Medicare "doughnut hole" will no longer lose crucial discounts on prescriptions.

So, those are the biggies under this law. Other aspects include tax incentives for businesses and individuals and expanding coverage to millions more Americans.

After the ruling a lot of people in the Republican Party started saying they will repeal the law. So, I ask what would you replace it with? I am getting sick and tired of Republican presidential candidate Willard "Mitt" Romney saying President Obama is bad for this country and his policies are bad but not saying in detailed fashion what he would do differently. Republicans are the same way. They say they will repeal it but won't say what they will replace it with. They say Obama's immigration policy is bad but won't say what they will replace it with other than securing the border. They say his energy policy is bad but won't say what they will do except drill baby drill.

Republicans also are now saying "look, President Obama raised your taxes. He's evil and must be stopped." Well, I end my blog with this:

Did you know that there is no penalty. It says directly in the law that if you choose not to participate you will not be subject to any punishment (I can find you the direct language if you want). Oh, and by that rationale then Romney raised taxes on everybody in Massachusetts but I'm guessing you will still vote for him, a tax raiser. Let's not forget too that Reagan raised taxes 11 times. Just saying...oh, and while we're at it, let's also not forget that Republicans called for a mandate in the 1990s. It was their idea!!! Now I can't honestly say that every Republican was for the mandate but the Republicans on Capitol Hill sure did. So before you go bashing this law because of a "tax" remember all the Republicans and their history of also increasing taxes!

Chicken two ways and green beans

Another day off so that means another cooked meal. Tonight's meal consisted of garlic green beans, which I've made before, and two types of chicken. One was a chipotle chicken. I basically just used the chipotle recipe from the shrimp trio meal I made a couple weeks ago and put it on chicken. The other was a garlic, basil and parsley chicken. That is new so I'll put that recipe below but in order to give credit where credit is due, the original recipe can be found at allrecipes.com here.

Review: Because I've already made two of the three pieces of tonight's meal I'll mainly focus on the one I have not yet made; however, I will say the green beans are slightly different from the recipe I posted a few days ago in that I did not use fresh garlic this time because I ran out. Instead, I used garlic powder and mixed that with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Then with about 5 minutes left to cook, I sprinkled a little more garlic powder on the green beans. It honestly didn't change the taste of them much than if I used fresh garlic. They might have been a tad bit more garlicky but not much more worth noticing. I also made the chipotle portion before but used it with shrimp instead of chicken. We liked the flavor though so I used the same ingredients of olive oil, chili powder and Kosher salt and used them on the chicken. By the way, I used one baking dish for the chipotle chicken and another for the other chicken that way the flavors wouldn't mix while cooking and cooked them at the same time and temperature as the recipe below will call for.

Now, on to the new meal of the garlic, basil and parsley chicken. First of all, neither that chicken nor the chipotle chicken called for marinading them but I did put the rub on the chicken and let them rest in the refrigerator for a couple hours before cooking. I followed the recipe as written except instead of garlic cloves I used garlic powder because I ran out of fresh garlic. I did not put the tomatoes on top, though, because I do not like tomatoes. Otherwise, it was a tasty meal. The chicken was juicy, which I like. I often worry about cooking chicken (especially chicken breasts) because they tend to dry out but this chicken wasn't dry at all. It says to cook it for another 15 minutes uncovered but I cooked it for about 20 minutes. I'm sure had I cooked it for 15 it would have been even juicier but I also was cooking the green beans a little longer to get them a little softer so I just left the chicken in until the green beans were done. The recipe says to sprinkle ingredients in a baking dish and then mix the rest in a bowl but because I decided to marinade the chicken for a couple hours I sprinkled the ingredients on the bottom of the dish I used to marinade, then laid the chicken in and then just sprinkled the ingredients individually over the chicken. Once I was ready to cook them I just sprayed the baking pan and moved the chicken over to the pan. I also thought it would taste a little "leafy" if you will because of the amount of parsley but it actually wasn't. Still, it could probably do with 1 teaspoon less of parsley. Finally, I didn't think it was that spicy but dad said it was a tad bit too spicy for him so if you don't like spicy food then leave out the crushed red pepper. If you like really spicy food then you could add more crushed red pepper. That ingredient might be something that you have to play with amount-wise to get the spice level to your liking. Oh, I also was reading comments left about the recipe on the allrecipes website and some people said they added cheese on the top. I didn't do that but I'm sure it would be additionally tasty if you were to add cheese.

Recipe:

• 1 tablespoon dried parsley, divided
• 1 tablespoon dried basil, divided
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tomatoes, sliced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon parsley and 1 teaspoon basil evenly over the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange chicken breast halves in the dish, and sprinkle evenly with garlic slices. In a small bowl, mix the remaining 2 teaspoons parsley, remaining 2 teaspoons basil, salt and red pepper then sprinkle over the chicken. Top with tomato slices. Bake covered in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove the cover and continue baking for another 15 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear.

Obama calls on Congress to finish transportation, student loan bills

Congress is running out of time to complete two pieces of legislation that could affect the economic recovery if they do not get finished. President Barack Obama used his weekly address to push for a multi-year transportation bill to help keep road and infrastructure projects throughout the country from having to be halted. He also called on Congress to finish work on legislation that would keep millions of students from seeing their student loan interest rates double at the beginning of July.

Pork chops with apples and onions and green beans

There are a lot of foods I like but only a handful of foods I love and tonight's meal has become one of those I love. I finished eating three hours prior to the time I am writing this entry and I am still thinking about tonight's dinner. I will absolutely be making it again and quite often. The meat part of the meal is a recipe from Anne Burrell of the Food Network and can be found on its original site here. The green bean part of the meal was from the Erin Chase, author of "$5 Dinner Mom," book and can be found here. 

Review: Let's start with the meat. The pork chops were savory and juicy. Probably the best pork chops I have ever had and if at all possible will be how I cook them from now on. Any cut would work but we had boneless, center cut pork chops for tonight's meal.

Now to the apple and onion topping. First of all the recipe calls for a pinch of crushed red pepper, a pinch of cinnamon and 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary but I just sprinkled them in without measuring and didn't use fresh rosemary but the dried kind you find in the spice aisle. It won't hurt. Also, to be honest, I messed up an ingredient and that made it VERY strong and tangy but had I used the proper ingredient it more than likely would have been fantastic. I accidentally got and used apple cider vinegar instead of just using regular apple cider. Don't get me wrong, it was quite good even with messing up but it would have been better had I not got the wrong thing; however, you could go without any liquid and just cook the onions and apples and it would still taste great. Also to note, if you can't find apple cider it could be out of season but regular apple juice is a good substitute.

Finally, there was the green beans. They were super easy and quick to make and honestly could be a meal in itself. In fact, most people would probably have all the ingredients needed already in their house they would just have to get the green beans. I bought fresh green beans, but I'm sure frozen would be OK too they would just need to be thawed before mixing with the ingredients and cooking. The taste of the roasted garlic really made the green beans fantastic. The recipe also calls for shredded parmesan cheese that you can toss on top of the green beans when finished but I didn't use that ingredient.

Recipe:

Pork chops with apples and onions

• 4 bone-in pork loin chops, 1-inch thick (again you can use whatever cut, boneless or bone-in that you want)
• Kosher salt
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• Pinch cinnamon
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped
• 2 cups apple cider

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Season the pork chops generously with salt then coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring it to a high heat. Sear the pork on both sides and on the fat edge, working in batches if the chops don't all fit in the pan at the same time (I let each side cook for about five minutes). Be sure not to crowd the pan. Remove the pork from the pan and place on a cookie sheet. Finish the pork in the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes then remove them from the oven and let them rest for 10 minutes before serving (I didn't let them rest because I was hungry and wanted to eat. I also wanted them warm).

Ditch the excess fat from the saute pan. Give a drizzle of fresh olive oil and add the onions and crushed red pepper and season with salt. Cook until the onions become soft and aromatic. Add the apples, cinnamon and rosemary and toss to coat with the oil (I just used a fork to stir the ingredients). Add the cider and cook until the cider has reduced by two-thirds and the onion-apple mixture is very soft and saucy. Serve over the pork chops.

Oven roasted garlic green beans

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound of greens beans, washed and trimmed
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• Pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons of grated or shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (I actually just kept it at the 375 degrees that I used for the pork chops and cooked the chops and the green beans at the same time on two oven racks because they took about the same amount of time to cook). In a mixing bowl, add the olive oil, green beans, minced garlic, Kosher salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Spread the green beans out on the foiled lined baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes (or until they are soft or hard to your liking), and toss quickly at around 6 minutes. Let them cook slightly before serving. These are served as a side dish with your favorite meat, chicken or pork chops meal.

Obama says Washington gridlock is holding back economy

President Barack Obama said during his weekly address on Saturday that political posturing and the stalemate that has taken over Washington was to blame for the slowing economy. He said the fighting between the parties needed to end and bipartisanship needed to be accomplished so the economy could get back on track and moving forward quicker. He also said it was a make-or-break moment for the middle class.

Spicy garlic shrimp

Tonight's meal was a trio of shrimp. I made one shrimp meal I already had done before and then two new ones. The one I did before was the grilled shrimp scampi (the one in the middle in the trio picture) and I have already put the recipe of that one on my blog. The original recipe for that, though, can be found at AllRecipes.com here. The other two I will list separately on my blog this one being the spicy garlic shrimp. That original recipe can be found at the Food Network website here. I served tonight's meal on lettuce to make lettuce wraps and below is a picture of all three and a picture of the spicy garlic shrimp on its own. The spicy garlic is the one farthest on the left in the trio picture.

          

Review: The spicy garlic shrimp was just that, spicy. My dad said he enjoyed all three shrimp but he couldn't finish this one or the shrimp scampi because he thought they were so spicy. Mom and I thought they were spicy as well but not too spicy. Had I added a little more crushed red pepper it might have been a little unbearable, but for me, it was the right amount. The recipe calls for a 1/2 teaspoon but up to 1 teaspoon would be OK without getting too hot. It also does not call for a marinade but I mixed all the ingredients together and let the shrimp marinade in them for 30 minutes and then cooked it on the grill instead of the pan. So, I mixed the oil, garlic (I chopped them instead of using the cloves), red pepper flakes, seasoning, parsley and lemon juice in a bowl). For the seasoning, it recommends using a grill or steak seasoning blend. You can use whatever kind you want. I used a cajun seasoning, which also gave it a little kick. It also called for 1 lemon, zested and juiced but I just used a couple tablespoons of lemon juice I had in my fridge that was left over from previous recipes.

Recipe:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed away from skin
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 24 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails in tact
• 2 teaspoons grill or steak seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Seasoning by McCormick) or coarse salt and pepper
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves, a handful

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, garlic, red pepper flakes and shrimp. Season with grill seasoning or salt and pepper and cook shrimp 3 minutes or until just pink. Toss with lemon zest, juice and chopped parsley. Remove the shrimp to a serving platter leaving the garlic cloves in the pan.

Chipotle shrimp

Tonight's meal was a trio of shrimp. I made one shrimp meal I already had done before and then two new ones. The one I did before was the grilled shrimp scampi (the one in the middle in the trio picture) and I have already put the recipe of that one on my blog. The original recipe for that, though, can be found at AllRecipes.com here. The other two I will list separately on my blog starting with the chipotle shrimp. That original recipe can be found at the Food Network website here. I served tonight's meal on lettuce to make lettuce wraps and below is a picture of all three and a picture of the chipotle shrimp on its own. The chipotle is the one farthest on the right in the trio picture.

                  

 

Review: The chipotle shrimp was quite tasty. Of the three it was probably the least spicy of the trio but it still packed a lot of flavor. The recipe does not call for marinading them but I did for 30 minutes. It also says to cook them on a large skillet or an outdoor grill so I went ahead and grilled them. The overall recipe calls for serving them with an avocado salsa (basically just guacamole) but I don't like avocado so I left that out. While this one was not that spicy you could make it hotter by adding a larger amount of chipotle or blended chili powder. You also could add crushed red pepper or even a dash of cayenne pepper.

Recipe:

Avocado Salsa:

• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 jalapeno, quartered, seeds optional
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 4 medium tomatillos, (about 8 ounces) husked, rinsed and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 Hass avocado, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Put the onion, jalapeno and garlic in a food processor and finely chop. Add the tomatillos, avocado and salt, and pulse until chopped but still chunky. Transfer to a bowl and stir the cilantro.

Shrimp:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chipotle or blended chili powder (I used the chili powder)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 pound medium shrimp (about 20), peeled and deveined 
• 8 corn tortillas
• 8 sprigs cilantro for garnish
• 2 limes, cut into wedges

Heat a stovetop or outdoor grill to medium-high. Mix the olive oil, chipotle or chili powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Grill the shrimp until translucent, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side.

You can serve it however you want such as on kabob skewers, lettuce, tortillas, plain, etc.; however, if you choose to use tortillas like the recipe calls for then grill them until slightly charred and pliable, about 20 seconds per side (alternatively, wrap in a damp paper towel and heat in a microwave). Spoon the avocado sauce on the tortilla, then top with about 2 or 3 shrimp and a sprig of cilantro. Serve the tacos with a lime wedge on the side.

Turkish chicken recipe

I haven't cooked in a while so it felt great to be back in the kitchen! Tonight's meal was pretty healthy and easy to make. As I've done with previous food I've made I'll put the recipe below but I found it on the Eating Well website here.

Review: This recipe is nice because it calls for a marinade that can be left in the refrigerator for 1 hour or up to 24 hours. That means you could make it before you go to bed the night before you plan on eating it or when you get home for dinner a little later. It was easy to make and while it calls for bone-in chicken thighs you can use any type of chicken you want. I meant to grab boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the store but accidentally got boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins but it was still pretty good. White meat will be healthier but if you prefer dark meat that is OK too. I must say the marinade on its own I personally didn't find that tasty, but once it's cooked into the chicken it is pretty good. For me, the mint was a little strong in some bites so I would recommend cutting the amount of mint in half. You also could substitute the mint for a different herb such as rosemary or thyme. This might not be a meal I cook too often but it is still one I will cook again.

Recipe:

• 8 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons hot paprika (you can substitute with sweet paprika or 2 teaspoons sweet paprika and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried mint
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Place the chicken in a large bowl, add the lemon juice and toss to coat. In a separate bowl, whisk the yogurt, garlic, ginger, paprika (and cayenne if you use it), mint and salt in a separate bowl. Pour the yogurt mixture over the chicken and stir to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. If you don't have plastic wrap aluminum foil or some other covering is OK.

Once you are ready to cook it, position the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the broiler. Remove the chicken and discard the extra marinade (I actually kept mine and spooned it over the chicken before putting it into the oven. Place the chicken on a broiler rack (I put the chicken in a pan) and broil until browned on top for about 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake until the chicken is juicy and just cooked through for about another 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Obama urges Congress to pass legislation to get teachers back to work

On Friday, President Barack Obama issued a statement and answered questions from the press about the economy. One thing he said was Congress had left his American Jobs Act sitting there essentially collecting dust. As the economy has begun to slow it was important they acted on his proposals to help the economy move again, he said. On Saturday, President Obama used his weekly address to discuss that topic in a little more detail and called on Congress to pass legislation that would help put teachers back to work.

Obama says Congress needs to get to work to help create jobs

One day after a dismal jobs report showed the country added a disappointing 69,000 jobs in May and the unemployment rate increased to 8.2 percent, up from 8.1 percent the previous month, President Barack Obama used his weekly address to tell Congress it was time to get to work in getting Americans back to work. One group of Americans he focused on was veterans. The president said Congress needed to make it easier for companies to hire service members returning from overseas so their skills could be utilized and help the economy grow.